


Amazing Friend

by CanonBawl



Category: Marvel (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, My First Fanfic, Relationship Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanonBawl/pseuds/CanonBawl
Summary: Peter's feelings for a (male, very male) coworker have gotten out of hand. Bobby helps.





	Amazing Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is my first fan fic thing ever! I wrote this scene as part of a larger story where Peter develops a crush on a made-up character he works with at the Bugle, but I sort of lost the overall shape of the story and this was the part I was most proud of. Basically Peter kissed this guy and is freaking out because he’s never been into a guy before (that he’s realized at least, bc Johnny) and turns to his Amazing Friend Iceman for guidance. The "Will" mentioned in the first paragraph is said OC/boy crush. Anyway, please feel free to comment and let me know what you think! I’d love to figure out what to do with the story as a whole.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when he swung up to the Washington Square arc. He’d listened to Will; nothing cleared his head like swinging. He’d made a full lap of midtown, zipped the Empire State Building, he was still stumped. That’s when he texted Bobby:

-Hey, popsicle, long time no chill

-Jesus that was bad. Even for you. Even for *me*

-are you around? You’re not in the savage land or anything are you?

-nah in CP. what’s up?

-can you talk? Need some amazing advice from my amazing pal

-🙄 yeah, I’m sure I owe you one for something or other. 2 hours, Washington Square Park?

-👍🏼 just don’t *flake* on me

-…good god

Peter watched the sun set. He was still so confused, his gut was churning, his heart was in his mouth. Thank god he hadn’t seen any crime today, he didn’t think he’d even be able to stop a mugging in this state. About ten after, Iceman arrived, making a small, almost translucent slide.

“Hey webhead!” Bobby seemed genuinely happy to see him. He threw his arms around him, pulled him tight. Despite the cold, Peter could feel the love and concern, hugged him back.

“Hey, Dumb-ice. Been a while.” It really had. Things had been so hectic lately. When everything with Younger Bobby had gone down, Peter was supportive. Sent him a long note, told him he loved him and nothing had changed. But he hadn’t really *been* there for him.

“Too long, Pete. So what’s up? You need a team up, don’t you? Need help fighting hydro man or something? Please say you need a team up, I will call Angelica right freaking now, the school is so boooring.”

Pete laughed. “I still can’t believe they even let you live there, let alone teach.” Bobby snowballed him in the face. “But no, no team up.” He looked around for bystanders, saw no one close by, and took off his mask. He thought it necessary, wanted Bobby to be very clear he was serious.

He clearly realized it was. Bobby iced down, looking concerned. “Peter? Are you okay? What’s wrong, is it May?”

“No, no, nothing like that. I just need…advice, I guess.” Before he knew it, his eyes were filling with tears. He turned away, rubbing them quickly.

“Jeez, man, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m- I’m so sorry I wasn’t more there for you, Bobby, when you came out. You know I love you, I just, the same shit as always, I got so busy, and with Mr. Jameson dying and-“

“Peter, stop.” Bobby looked him dead in the eye. “We’ve been friends a long time, so hear me when I say this: your life makes the X-men look like the Brady Bunch. And may I remind you that I have a TEENAGE VERSION OF MYSELF running around working for our arch nemesis.” Peter laughed. “Your note, hearing that from one of the first non-Mutants to like me for me, to treat me like a person. That meant a lot. Seriously.” Peter smiled and nodded. “Man, whatever this is must be bad.” He made a snow-couch and plopped down, patting the seat next to him. “Come oh man, you can tell me anything, you know that.”

Peter sat down. “I think I- no, I *do* have feelings for someone.”

“Oh god, it’s not one of the X-men, is it? Seriously, Peter, don’t. It’s not worth it. If she doesn’t blow up a star system or telepathically cheat on you, best case your apartment will blow up at least once. That’s like, our thing.”

Peter laughed again and rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not an X-Man.” He took a few deep breaths. “But…it is a man. A guy. It’s a guy.”

Bobby stared in silence for a few moments, then seemed to realize he hadn’t responded. He whistled, softly. “That’s…a doozy”

Peter nodded. “Yeah”

“And now you’re wondering…what, if you’re gay?”

He nodded. “Yeah pretty much.” He gulped, took another deep breath. “No, not just that. It’s like, am I gay? Or bi? Or, you know, somewhere in between? But as if that wasn’t enough, now I’m wondering about everything that came before. If any of it was real, if-“

“If you ever even loved any of them.” Bobby jumped in, nodding. “And if by acting on this, you’re…I don’t know, betraying them, disrespecting what you had with them.”

“Exactly.” Peter hadn’t realized it until Bobby had put it that clearly, but that’s exactly what was bothering him. “What does this mean about my relationship with MJ? Or Carlie? Or…” he choked on Gwen’s name. Bobby knew who he meant, and smiled sadly.

“I asked myself all the same stuff. I’d been with Opal, Lorna for so long. I cared about them, I, you know, was *with* them. But when I thought about it, when I really took the time and thought through it, I realized that I’d never *really* loved them. Not the way I hope to love someone someday.” There were tears in his eyes now too. “And even after I talked to, well to myself-“ they both laughed at that, how could they not, “I still had doubts. Even though when he said that to me, I was wondering if he was right. And then I met someone. And we kissed, and we danced, and I knew. I knew that was who I was, who I’d always been. It was nothing like anything else. It was real, and I’d never realized what real was until then.”

Peter nodded, wiping his eyes. That all made sense. But that still left the question. “So…was any of it real for me?”

Bobby shrugged. “I can’t answer that for you, man. I want to help, I hope I have. But all you can do is think about then, and then think about now.” He reclined and thought a second. “Actually, no. Answer me this: this guy. When you look at him, when you’re with him, when you’re getting to know him. Does it feel like it did when you fell for MJ? When you asked out Betty?”

Peter thought about it. Thought back to the day he asked Betty out at the Bugle, the day he finally met MJ, the first time he kissed Gwen. “Yeah. It really does. My heart’s been doing backflips, I turn red when he smiles at me or compliments me. When we-“ he paused, couldn’t stop himself from feeling ashamed, weird. Bobby smiled and nodded, encouraged him on. “When we kissed-“ Peter was pretty sure if Bobby was drinking something he’d have done a spit take, judging from his face. “When we kissed, it felt just as real.”

Bobby shrugged. “There you go. Everything before, anything that may come after…it’s you, man. It’s all been you.”

He was right. Peter felt like he could breathe for the first time since the darkroom. “Bobby…thank you. Thank you so much. I can’t believe you survived this. All these years. When we were kids, this world was so *mean*.”

“I can’t believe I did either. Seriously.”

Peter looked him straight in the eyes. “You’re my hero, Bobby Drake. I mean it.” He put his arm around his friend, and Bobby rested his head on his shoulder.

“You too, Pete.” They watched the last of the sun disappear and the park light up around them. “So, who is this guy? When do I get to meet him?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Never, if I can help it.”


End file.
